Jan.

2005

The Franck-Hertz Experiment

Phy 344

Introduction: This 1914 experiment demonstrated that the collisions of electrons with atoms have a special property. Often, electrons simply collide elastically with atoms; such collisions obey the standard laws for conservation of energy and momentum. However, in special cases an electron can also lose a specic and large amount of its kinetic energy in a violent, inelastic collision which leaves the atom in an excited state. The extra energy of the excited state can thus be measured electrically by measuring the properties of the scattered electrons. The discovery that the inelastic collisions always absorbed exactly the same amount of energy conrmed a prediction about atoms made by Neils Bohr. Rutherford had discovered that the positive charge inside an atom was conned to a tiny nucleus; the atom presumably had a cloud of electrons surrounding the nucleus. Bohrs view was that the electrons which were bound inside the atom were in very well dened orbits, in the sense that only orbits with precisely dened orbital energies and orbital angular momenta were allowed. These atomic electrons are not the colliding electrons of Franck and Hertz; in fact, Bohrs model was designed to account for the spectrum of light emitted by atoms. Only certain specic colors or frequencies of light were emitted by excited atoms; in Bohrs model the dierent colors emitted to the quantum jumps of an electron from excited orbits down to less excited orbits. Bohr was able to account for the measurements in hydrogen quantitatively, using the correspondence between the frequency of light and the energy of a photon E = h originally proposed for the photoelectric eect. If Bohrs model were correct, then inelastic collisions of extra particles with an atom would only reveal very precisely dened energy losses for the extra particle. These energies would correspond to quantum jumps of the atomic electrons from low energy states up to more excited states. But this was only a prediction - no purely electrical experiment before that of Franck and Hertz had revealed quantum states. So Franck and Hertz showed that Bohrs model, that was designed to account for optical properties, had predicted unexpected electrical eects. This is exactly what a theory is supposed to do if it is useful. The Franck-Hertz eect is observed using a vacuum diode. A vacuum diode is simply a vacuum tube with two electrodes. One electrode called the cathode is usually heated, so that electrons leak o into the vacuum. A voltage is applied between 1

the cathode and the second electrode, called the anode. If the polarity of the voltage is correct, the electrons emitted from the cathode are accelerated by the electric eld and subsequently collected at the anode. For observing the Franck-Hertz eect a small amount of mercury is placed in the tube. By heating the tube the vapor pressure of the mercury rises, and thus the density of mercury atoms with which the electrons can collide increases. At room temperature the eects of the mercury are modest. At higher temperature there is a profound eect of the mercury on the relationship of the current to the voltage applied. Objectives: Learn to operate a picoammeter and a power supply Learn to wire and operate a modied vacuum diode incorporating a retarding potential. Measure the current-voltage relationship in this diode, and achieve a qualitative understanding of this relationship. Measure the eects of a partial pressure of mercury upon the current-voltage relationship of the diode. Achieve a qualitative understanding of these eects, including the role of quantized excitations of the mercury atoms. Suggested Reading: Copies of these are led in the laboratory 1 Theodore Korne, Introduction to Electronics (Academic Press, New York, 1973) pp 111-117. This book contains an introduction to vacuum diodes of which the Franck-Hertz tube is an example. 2 Arthur Beiser, Concepts of Modern Physics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1987) pp 151-155. Suggested Apparatus: 1. Franck-Hertz tube and oven., NEVA Inc. distributed by Klinger. 2. Vac power supply label 6.3 VAC in Bud box with blue output connectors. (Plugs in wall socket.) 2

3. Picoammeter, Keithley Inc. model 410. 4. Retarding Potential supply, 1.5 V dry cell battery. 5. Multimeter 6. D. C. power supply, Lambda LLS3120 0-120 V. 7. Variac supply for heater current. Safety Considerations: The DC power supply can deliver a high voltage. Adjust it carefully. Make sure that the Franck-Hertz oven is grounded; if you do not understand grounding please discuss it with the lab sta. Make sure that the wiring from the DC power supply is done in such a way that you will not accidentally touch anything at high voltage. Avoiding Damage: The NEVA tube has a lament that must not be overheated, so use the Vac supply that is provided. Also be careful not to apply more than 70 V between the tubes anode and cathode. If the tube glows blue you are putting on too much voltage. Instructions - Operation of a Vacuum Diode 1. To understand the functioning of the Franck-Hertz tube you will need to study the workings of a vacuum diode and the space charge eects in them. A descriptive understanding such as in Kornes book should be sucient. 2. Make sure you use a voltmeter to measure the voltage between the grid and cathode rather than relying on the power supply meter. 3. The basic instructions for wiring the Franck-Hertz tube are given on the case of the oven and in the NEVA tube manual. To understand this wiring you need to know what an ammeter does. You also need to understand how a power supply with oating outputs operates. 4. If time permits, study the eect of the retarding potential on the Franck-Hertz eect for a single elevated temperature. 5. The Frank-Hertz eect is associated with oscillations observed in the currentvoltage relationship of the diode. At each temperature you may observe several minima in the current-voltage relationship. Graph the voltages of these minima versus an index (1 for the rst voltage minimum, two for the next, et..); include all temperatures for which the Franck-Hertz eect was observed. 3

Memoranda: Be prepared to discuss the following points; there is no need to prepare written responses. What accounts for the shape of the current-voltage curve in the diode at room temperature? What does it mean to say that raising the tubes temperature increases the vapor pressure of the mercury? Is this eect related at all to the eect of increasing the cathodes temperature on the diode current? Why does higher mercury vapor pressures yield lower anode-cathode currents? Does the 6.3 Vac applied to the lament heater aect the voltage between the anode and cathode? Did you see any optical emission from the Franck-Hertz tube? What color of light would you expect from your measurements of the Franck-Hertz oscillations? Why was the Franck-Hertz eect considered important enough to award a Nobel prize for its discovery?